Chapter 7 - Dietary Short Chain Fatty Acids: How the Gut Microbiota Fight Against Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases

Abstract

Our gut microbiota is now considered another vital organ in our body that can directly impact the development and maintenance of our immune system through the production of microbial short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These microbial metabolites can influence many other physiological processes such as metabolism and behavior as well as the digestive, circulatory, and nervous systems. With diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and infections increasing in prevalence, the debate centers upon whether many diseases have a gut origin. The interplay between the intestinal immune system, the epithelial barrier, and the bacteria that reside within is fundamental to maintaining healthy gut homeostasis and determining the fate of health and disease. Many environmental factors such as diet and overexposure to antibiotics can contribute to altering the balance of commensal bacteria, subsequently compromising the availability and production of SCFAs that affect the gut and immune homeostasis. Here we are compiling the most updated and sophisticated literature on how dietary SCFAs modulate the progression of inflammatory diseases and autoimmunity.